Clover Springs Trail most difficult section
Clover Springs Trail 4W697 (Lower section) Distance: 2.5 miles
Running Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Most Difficult
The lower section of the Clover Springs trail runs down hill from FS-1605 to join FS-1600. At the bottom end and just off the side of FS-1600 the trail is unmarked and almost impossible to discern as it literally drops off the edge of the road down a steep embankment and through a clear cut. We are unsure if this is the official outlet of this trail as we could find no trail marker here when we exited off the trail.
When we ran the trail we started up the hill at the point where the trail becomes just a "more difficult" rating and runs up hill to the ridge line to meet the Mud Springs trail. As you round a corner on FS-1605 the trail maker for the lower (most difficult) section is in the trees and on the left. Continuing on FS-1605 a little farther will bring you to the upper section of the Clover Springs Trail on the right.
The lower section of the Clover Springs trail starts with a steep and at times off camber descent as it winds tightly through the trees. At just under half a mile the trail drops onto an old forest service road. Turn to the left and follow the shelf road for approximately 1/3 mile and watch for the trail to drop off steeply once again on the right side. Here again you will descend a steep hill making your way into the bottom of the ravine and Nile Creek. As the trail winds through the ravine it will cross Nile Creek several times and gets very tight in the trees necessitating 3 or 4 point turns for even short wheelbase rigs. After a mile of this you will be at the foot of the hill climb out of the ravine. This final climb is steep and intimidating. Lockers are highly recommended. Even when dry, walking up this final hill climb proved to be mostly impossible on the trail itself, we had to walk in the woods and zig zag up the hill.
Recommendations: We would not advise trying this trail if conditions are wet, the hill climbs and descents would be too dangerous. Rigs attempting this trail should have lockers, mud terrain tires at a minimum and a good winch. We would not recommend this trail for long wheelbase rigs or drivers who are new. Body damage even for a well equipped rig is a high possibility.
Getting There:
8.5 miles east of Cliffdel on Hwy 410 turn south onto Nile Road and cross over the Naches River. Follow Nile Road southeast for 1.4 miles and turn right (west) on FS1600. Follow FS1600 2.9 miles west and keep to the right at the "Y" continue climbing steadily up hill. At 4.4 miles on FS1600, FS1603 will diverge to the right, stay left on FS1600. At 4.68 miles FS216 bears to the right, stay left on FS1600. At approximately 8.5 miles on FS1600 the eastern end of the Clover Springs trail will be on the left side of the road but there is no marker here. Just past this at about 8.6 miles a lesser looking road drops down hill to the left as FS1600 continues around to the right. Follow the road to the left downhill which is FS1605. FS1605 drops into the ravine and crosses Nile Creek before switching back and climbing the opposite side. At 3.65 miles on FS1605 you will round a corner to the right, the Most Difficult section of the Clover Springs Trail is on the left and can be hard to see. Continuing straight ahead for another .2 mile will bring you to the "more difficult" section of the Clover Springs Trail which climbs to meet the Mud Springs Trail.
GPS Data File: NileTrails.zip
(Includes .TXT, .GDB, .GPX files for the Clover Springs, Sweet Home and Mud Springs trails)
Printable Map: Clover Springs MD.PDF (2.96mb)
Camping:
